Mold gate



Patented Apr. 2l, 1942 entre 4 Claims.

This invention relates to casting and more particularly has reference to a mold and gate construction.

One of the problems heretofore presented in casting practice has been the tendency for cracks to develop at the junction o the pouring gate and the mold body. This results from the unequal expansion and contraction of these two members and occurs when the pouring gate and mold are made ci the same material, as well as when they are made of different materials.

An object of this invention is to solve this problem.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a mold construction in which the gate is oatingly mounted with respect to the mold body.

Yet another object of my invention is to provide a casting device in which the gate is so mounted with respect to the mold body that it remains in communication with the mold cavity throughout periods of expansion and contraction.

To accomplish the above, and other important objects, my invention in general embraces the concept of providing a mold body and a gate, the gate being so juxtaposed to the body member as to prevent leakage of molten metal. More specifically, the gate is mounted to permit of movement whereby the gate will maintain a close seal with the body member. In the preferred form of my invention, the gate is mounted for movement toward and away from the mold, but is yieldingly held in abutting relationship to the mold by means of a spring member.

In the accompanying drawing there is depicted one form of device embodying my invention, it being, of course, understood that various modications may be made therein without exceeding the scope of my inventive concept. In the drawing, in which similar gures denote the same parts:

Figure l is an elevational view of one-half of a mold.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 2 2 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 3 is a view taken along the line 3 3 of Figure l, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3, but showing a modified form of spring member` I provide a base member I which, as best shown in Figure 2, is made up of the conventional backing plate 2 and a special subplate 3.

The base member I carries the mold body I and the gate 5. It will be appreciated that a corresponding base member I, with the necessary mold member and gate, is provided for the pouring operation, such corresponding members adapted to cooperate to form the completed mold. However, only one-half of the completed mold is described herein.

The mold body is Xedly secured to the subplate by bolts '6, or other suitable means. The

gate 5, on the other hand, is mounted upon the subplate 3 in such a way that a certain amount of movement is possible, in a manner to be later described.

The mold body ll is provided with a mold cavity l. from the cavity, and inlet provides for the introduction of molten metal to the cavity. As shown in Figure 1, the base member I is adapted to carry two molds, which in this instance are for the casting of plough mold boards, and it will.

be appreciated that both molds are of the same construction.

The gate member 5 is provided with a central channel Il, tapered at its inlet end as at I2, and

branching at its lower end to form two channels i3 which communicate with the inlets 9 of the mold cavities.

Heretofore considerable trouble has been eX- perienced due to the fact that over a period of repeated expansions and contractions resulting from pouring operations, the branch channels IS have become misaligned or disjointed from the inlets 9. To permit of the free relative expansion of the mold body 4 and gate 5, and at the same time to insure a close. joint between the channel I3 and inlet 9, I floatingly mount the gate member 5 upon the base member I, and then yieldingly maintain it against the mold body Il, which is Xed to the base Referring particularly to Figure 2, the underside of the gate 5 is drilled to receive screws Hi. The screws Ill pass through a T-bar I5 which is keyed in a T'slot of the subplate 3. It will therefore be appreciated that the gate 5 is capable of Vertical movement by virtue of this arrangement, and the T-slot in subplate 3 is so positioned that the channels I3 of gate member 5 lie opposite the inlets 9.

The gate member 5 is urged against the mold body 4 by some resilient means--for instance, a

spring. In Figure 3, I have shown such a springv arrangement made up of an L-shaped member I6 made out of suitable spring metal, and a second L--shaped member Il. These two members are secured to the subplate 3 by means of bolts I8. Likewise, the member Il is drilledand screw threaded to receive a bolt I9. A lock nut 2l A vent 8 permits the escape of hot gases is provided on the bolt to maintain the bolt in a fixed position. It will therefore be seen that this spring arrangement will urge the gate member `5 into close abutment with the mold body 4.

An alternative form of spring arrangement is disclosed in Figure 4, in which a single spring member 22 is provided and secured to the subplate 3 by means of bolts I8. It will be noted that the single spring 22 is roughly of L-shaped construction, but is so designed as to permit of flexing.

From the foregoing, it will be observed that I have provided a mold construction in which a tight junction between the gate member and the mold body is maintained at all times, regardless of repeated expansions and contractionsthereby preventing any leakage of metal. It will be appreciated that this is accomplished at a minimum of cost and at no added operative risk.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to the precise details of construction herein set forth by way of illustration, as it is apparent that many changes and variations may be made therein, by those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of the inventon, or exceeding the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A casting device comprising a base member, a mold body Xed to the base a slot in the base, a block slidable in the slot, said block intertting with said slot so as to form a guideway for retaining the block in a Xed path to and from said mold body, a gate mounted on the block, and resilient means for maintaining the gate against the mold member.

2. A casting device comprising a frame, a mold body ixed to the frame, said mold body having a mold cavity with a vent hole at the top and an inlet port at the bottom, whereby the casting material may be poured upward into the mold cavity, a gate member carried by the frame so as to be in a downward path, the gate member having a main channel and a lateral channel and a terminal channel, the main channel being adapted to carry casting material downward to the lateral channel, said lateral channel being adapted to carry casting material sideways to the terminal channel, said terminal-channel being adapted to carry casting material upward to said inlet port when the gate member is in its uppermost position, said main channel having a height suflicient to provide a hydrostatic head for forcing casting material into the mold cavity to ll it, the gate member at the terminal channel orice interfitting with the mold body at the inlet port orifice to permit said filling operation to proceed without leakage, the gate member being slidable downward in an amount sufficient to accommodate displacements due to freezing of castings, resilient adjustable means on the frame for normally urging the gate member to its uppermost position.

3. A device of the character described comprising a base member, a mold body Xed to the base member, a gate member mounted on the base, and an L-shaped leaf spring fastened to the base, one arm of which bears against the gate member to resiliently hold it in operative relation against the mold body.

4. A device of the character described vcompris-- ing a mold body, a gate member, a plurality of springs, and adjusting means carried by one of the springs for adjusting the tension of both of the springs, said springs coacting to hold the gate member against the mold body.

HENRY E. MCWANE. 

